Chimney Swift 2016 Bird of the Year BIRD-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES

Background Conservation Status Over the past century, Chimney Swifts IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: (Chaetura pelagica) have been Near Threatened extremely adaptable – learning to Audubon Birds and Climate Change Report 2014: roost in urban chimneys as large Climate Stable hollow trees, their natural roosting sites, disappeared. But populations USGS Breeding Bird Survey trend 1966-2013 are decreasing steeply – 53 percent •Declined 2.48%/year between 1966 and 2007 in the survey-wide United States – as chimneys are •Declined 1.61%/year NC capped or removed, leaving fewer places for swifts to nest and raise 2016 Partners in Flight their young. During breeding, there is Landbird Conservation some sharing of chimneys for Plan: Common Bird in roosting, but only a single pair will Steep Decline – priority build a nest in a particular chimney. species for all eastern During migration, swifts will roost in regional Joint Ventures large numbers – often thousands of with predicted loss of 50% swifts in one chimney. Chimney Swifts of current global population breed in the central and eastern in under 30 years. Percent Change per Year United States and winter in the Less than 1.5 -1.5 to -0.25 Amazon basin of Peru, northern Chile, > -0.25 to 0.25 and northwest Brazil. > 0.25 to +1.5 Greater than +1.5 Four Ways You Can Help 1 Keep Your Chimney Open The practice of capping older chimneys makes 2 them inaccessible to swifts. One solution is to Be a Citizen hire a chimney sweep to Scientist cap the chimney in Report nesting and 3 November and open it up roosting sites at again before Chimney Construct A nc.audubon.org. Audubon Swifts arrive in the spring. Chimney Swift Tower NC staff will upload the Or simply keep your data collected at Provide more nesting chimney open. Newer nc.audubon.org to habitat to your chimneys tend to have eBird.org. If you are an neighborhood swifts. We metal liners that are too eBird user, enter your recommend the book slick for the swifts to observations on eBird with Chimney Swift Towers by 4 perch on, so older Chimney Swift Roost (or experts Paul and chimneys with brick Nest) in the Location Georgean Kyle. The cost is Save Roost Towers linings are really Name, choose Stationary around $500 for the Schools and industrial important. Encourage Count, and enter No for version with an buildings are replacing neighbors, Audubon whether you are reporting educational kiosk; cost heating and cooling members, and others to all species you could depends on materials. systems at a rapid rate in keep their chimneys open identify. There are also great North Carolina, causing too. videos available online to the loss of suitable roost help you get started. Swift towers. Be proactive and towers make excellent write letters and arrange Fast facts about Chimney Swifts Eagle Scout projects. to meet with school Schoolyards, church administrators, facilities Swifts are more closely related to hummingbirds grounds, parks and other than any other groups of birds, even swallows managers, and others open areas make good who influence decisions which they resemble. Swifts and hummingbirds sites. Open sites are best make up an Order of birds called Apodiformes. on chimneys before plans – swifts will occupy a are made to tear the •Chimney Swifts do everything on the wing – tower much sooner if chimney down. Offer to eating, drinking, bathing; even snapping off twigs there is no tree canopy for give a brief presentation for nesting material. If they’re not sitting on their at least 25 feet radius (which we will provide) nest or roosting, they are flying. around the tower. The about Chimney Swifts to •Swifts stick their nests together with their spit, tower may be attached to administrators, staff, which basically glues the nest together and sticks an existing structure such employees, teachers – it securely to the wall of the chimney. as a house or garage so any group of people •Swifts have toes that are kind of like our long as the tower extends connected with the opposable thumbs – two of their four toes can at least 4 feet above the building. point backward, as they do in flight, or swing structure. Once you have forward for clinging to a tree or chimney. This toe completed your tower, arrangement is called “pamprodactyl.” register it at nc.audubon.org.

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